Open top incinerator



1959 .1. M. STEVENSON, 512' 2,91

OPEN TOP INCINERATQR Filed Oct. 21; 1955 My invention relates to an open top incinerator of the type which is setup on the ground and which receives trash, slash, grass cuttings and other combustible material through the open top of its combustion chamber, and there by combustion reduces such material to ashes which are discharged through the air intake opening in the bottom of the combustion chamber drum.

The objects of my invention are: First, to arrange the combustion so that the incinerator will burnthe material completely and without giving off odor of burning, and will not emit through its open top sparks or burning material which might endanger the surrounding area; second, to arrange the intake of air through the bottom of the incinerator drum so that the air reaching said intake will first have passed downward from a point higher than said bottom; third, to arrange that the air so passing down from the outside to said intake will tend to cool the combustion chamber around its focus of combustion, and will in turn be thereby pre-heated so as to promote better combustion after it passes through said intake; fourth, to provide a helmet held above said air intake which will provide for the upward passage of the air from said intake around said helmets outer edges, and on which the combustible material will rest and tend to move toward said outer edges; fifth, to arrange the air passage around said helmet so that the incinerator will not be clogged or prevented from operating by bottles, tin cans and other tramp material which may be inserted along with the trash or other combustible material; sixth, to insulate the bottom of said incinerator drum and the opening for such air intake against heat with refractory material; and, seventh, to provide andirons to support the incinerator drum which will permit'the passage of air into the intake and the discharge of ashes out from same.

With these and other objects in view my invention resides in the construction and arrangement of parts, herein fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings, which are a part of this specification, and in which like characters indicate like parts:

Fig. 1 is a vertical central section of my open top incinerator set up in a tub;

Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section of same, with the sand 15 omitted, and with a different form of windshield;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the incinerator drum with the sand 15 omitted and with part of the cone 16 cut away; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of part of Fig. 2.

The cylindrical drum which serves as the combustion chamber has an open top and bottom 11 which has a central hole 12. Into this hole I insert an annular asbestos pipe collar 13 supported by the inwardly extending flanges 14 of three brackets each of which has a vertical cylindrical portion 23 and an outwardly extending flange 29 which latter is fastened to the bottom 11 by a rivet 25. I have tried other materialsuch 2,915,025 Patented Dec. 1, 1959 as vitrified clay pipe for the collar but find same'inconvenient because it cracks with the heat.

The collar 13 extends through the bottom 11 far enough upward to hold the refractory material such as loose sand 15 spread over the bottom 11 so as to form a hopper converging at the upper end of the collar 13. Above this sand hopper 15 I place a metal cone or helmet 16 whose outside diameter is less than the inside diameter of the drum 10. This cone 16 is supported by three legs 17 whose upper bent end 18 may be riveted to the cone 16, and whose lower end is fastened to a cit cular ring 19. The whole assembly of cone 16, legs 17 and ring 19 may be inserted into the drum 10 and positioned therein with the ring 19 resting on the bottom 11 and may be removed when desired.

Underneath the drum 10 I provide a tub having a bottom 20 and slanting sides 21 which extend upwardly nearly as far as the level of the bottom of the cone 16 to serve as a windshield. To support the drum 10 I place a plurality of andirons .22 on the base 20 positioned'outside of the collar 13 and bracket portions 23. These andirons 22 may be of any suitable shape but each is showman an inverted U with a flat top. An annular space 26 is left between the vertical wall of the drum 10 and the slanting side 21 of the tub through which air may pass downward and the andirons 22 are arranged so that the air so received may pass freely upward into thecollar 13. It may be found necessary or advisable to provide a windshield 31 which is a cylindrical sheet of metal resting on the ground and extending upward beyond the focus of combustion at the outer edge of the cone 16 so that the air will pass downward through the annular space 30.

In the operation of my incinerator the drum 119 above the cone 16 is filled with combustible material which may be ignited by reaching into the drum with a match or torch. The air for combustion is drawn through the collar 13 from the annular intake 26 or 30 and spreads around the edges of the cone 16 so that the focus of combustion is at that edge. As the combustion proceeds other material will be moved down by gravity and the ashes from combustion will fall down into the sand hopper 15. The combustion will be complete and there is no tendency for burning shards to fly upward out of the drum 10. Other combustible material may be inserted into the top of the drum 10, and when all has been consumed the tramp material may be taken out, the cone 16 may be removed and the ashes moved down the sand hopper 15 through the collar 13 to rest on the base 21) or on the ground. When sufiicient ash has accumulated the drum 10 can be lifted off the andirons 22 and the ashes disposed of. The drum 111 can then be put in place, the cone 16 put in place within the drum 10, and a new charge of combustible material inserted in the top of the drum 10.

I have found that in combustible tramp material may reach the edge of the cone 16 but will not stop the process of combustion, also that substances like rubber which ordinarily give off an objectionable odor when burning can be burned in this incinerator without giving off such odor.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

l. A combustion chamber having an open top, vertical sides, and a bottom provided with an opening for the upward passage of air, a helmet placed within said cham her at a vertical distance above said bottom and extending outward toward said vertical sides, said helmet serving to support the combustible material placed within said chamber, means for supporting said bottom above the ground to permit flow of air to said opening, and a skirt surrounding said supporting means and said combustion chamber, said skirt extending upward from the ground to a level as high as the level of said helmet.

2. A combustion chamber having an open top, vertical sides, and a bottom provided with an opening for the upward passage of air, a helmet placed within said chamber at a vertical distance above said bottom and extending toward said vertical sides leaving a space for the upward passage of air between its periphery and said sides, said helmet serving to support the combustible material placed within said chamber, a collar of refractory material placed within said opening and extending upward from said bottom, loose refractory material placed on said bottom surrounding said collar, means for supporting said bottom above the ground to permit a flow of air to said opening, and a skirt surrounding said supporting means and said combustion chamber extending upward from the ground to a level as high as the level of said helmet.

3. A combustion chamber having an open top, vertical sides, and a bottom provided with an opening for the upward passage of air, a helmet placed within said chamber at a vertical distance above said bottom and extending outward toward said vertical sides leaving a space for the upward passage of air between its periphery and said sides, said helmet serving to support the combustible material placed within said chamber and sloping downward from its center outward to permit said material to slide toward said space at its periphery, means for insulating said bottom against the heat of combustion 30 of said material, means for supporting said bottom above the ground to permit a flow of air to said opening, and a skirt surrounding said supporting means and said combustion chamber extending upward from the ground to a level as high as the level of the periphery of said helmet.

4. A combustion chamber having an open top, vertical sides, and a bottom provided with an opening for the upward passage of air, a helmet supported within said chamber at a vertical distance above said bottom and extending outward toward said vertical sides, said helmet serving to support the combustible material placed within said chamber and to permit said material to move outwardly toward said sides, means for supporting said bottom above the ground to permit the flow of air to said opening, and a skirt surrounding said supporting means and said combustion chamber extending upward from the ground to a level so high that the intaken air will cool said vertical sides at the point of combustion of said material at the edge of said helmet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 167,291 Babbitt Aug. 31, 1875 226,201 Ryn Apr. 6, 1880 429,672 Woolston June 10, 1890 1,232,885 Beutlick July 10, 1917 1,880,142 Klingbeil Sept. 27, 1932 1,981,127 Slater Nov. 20, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,136 Great Britain June 10, 1893 

